Objectives: This course provides a first-year introduction to the computer and to college-level research skills. The goal is to enable students to make full but discriminating use of information technology and the resources of the Hekman Library. Specific objectives are to introduce:

• the basic concepts of computer hardware and software
• the potential of the computer as a "universal" appliance, capable of storing, locating, transferring, manipulating, analyzing, and presenting information
• the criteria for critically evaluating information sources
• various discipline-specific research strategies
• a viewpoint from which to make ethically responsible judgments regarding the appropriate use of information technology.

The course will make use of basic campus information technologies, including Calvin WebMail, KnightVision, Novell network accounts, Microsoft Windows, and basic office applications (i.e., Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Macromedia Dreamweaver). It will also use the technologies provided by the Hekman digital library (i.e., WebCat and Calvin's research databases). We will discuss the cultural impact of this technology and the ethical responsibilities of its users from a reformed Christian perspective.